When Two Hearts Race
by Lavedovanera
Summary: An odd little Valentines story worthy of Loony Lovegood about love, umbrellas, hearts, and competition. Dhr


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and the quote of two hearts race was not said by me, but by a Dove chocolate wrapper D

Happy V-Day! This is a Valentines Fic dedicated to all of you who, for some reason, think I have a diminutive talent in writing.

**When Two Hearts Race**

Draco Malfoy was walking back from Care of Magical Creatures with his two best friends Pansy and Blaise.

He looked up at the sky and flinched as a raindrop landed on his cheek. Blaise and Pansy laughed at him as they pulled out their umbrellas. Draco looked down and wiped the drop off his face as he pulled out his own black umbrella.

They had been right to pull out their revealing umbrellas, the instant Draco's umbrella was up the sky started pouring buckets onto the unsuspecting students. Draco watched as all his classmates tried to get their umbrellas out quickly so as to not get soaked.

That oaf Hagrid's lesson had been a joke. When they were third years Hagrid had presented them with animals too dangerous for kids their age to handle. So, who would have thunk it? He gave them something too dangerous to handle as seventh years. Idiot.

"He's completely out of control Draco," said Pansy, long suffering, "can't your father do something about it like he did in third year"

No, he really couldn't. The war had just ended months ago and his family had escaped Azkaban by the skin of their teeth…and a lot of money. It would be lying to say his father still had good stance in the ministry… Not that that had ever stopped him before.

"Not really Pansy," said Draco, barely looking at her, "you should ask Blaise, his parents have a better chance of getting that lout fired than I or my father ever will"

Blaise, who was walking leisurely with his hands in his pockets, took a moment to reply.

"Bad luck Pans," Blaise said aristocratically as he flipped around and started walking backwards with ease, "I agree that Hagrid's imprudent but to go out of my way to get him fired would only make him feel important"

Draco smirked at his friend's humor and Pansy outright laughed.

"I suppose" she groaned, after her laughter. And then the friends walked silently on.

Draco sighed. He wished his friends would keep on talking. Talking distracted him from being distracted by other things; like Hermione Granger, who was walking with her friends just a few feet away from them.

He had no idea why he had suddenly become interested in her. She had not gotten prettier, or any more bearable; she was still a teacher's pet and know-it-all. But Draco felt like he had to prove himself to her; which was, of course, ridiculous. She was the Mudblood. And yet he could not deny it, she didn't give witches damn about him. Or his devised superiority over her, and that was just…interesting. Rose after rose passed underneath his nose, but the moment he caught a wildflower he just couldn't get the scent out of his clothes.

Draco hastily ran up to stand next to Hermione.

"Ah," said Ron knowledgably, "It's going to start blizzarding soon"

Draco's friends had caught up also and arrived just in time to hear Ron's smart little comment.

"There's no such word as, 'Blizzarding' Ron" Hermione corrected prudishly.

"Yes" said Malfoy, going out of his way to sound prudish, "the proper thing to say would be, 'methinks a blizzard is afoot'"

All of them, even Ron and Harry, chuckled at Hermione's expense, except for her of course.

"Anyways Weasley" said Pansy with good humor, "It's raining, not snowing. It snows during blizzards"

"Yea Weasel!" said Blaise jokingly, pretending to be offended, "get the terminology correct"

Pansy chuckled, unlike Hermione, she could laugh at herself.

"Malfoy" Hermione said, not looking at him, "You're here, what a disagreeable surprise."

Hermione sped up, outstripping her friends, obviously annoyed with them for laughing at her. Draco decided to match her, walking just as fast to keeping pace.

Blaise rolled his eyes at the two, Draco was so…obvious. It really annoyed him sometimes that Malfoy was dubbed the smoothest operator at Hogwarts when really Malfoy's true élan showed as he ran after Granger like an idiot, and Granger was no better. Dubbed the smartest witch in the school and yet she didn't realize that her and Draco had argued so much that eventually her friends had befriended Draco's without her knowledge, or Draco's knowledge for that matter. Ron and Harry found that they were quite companionable with Blaise and Pansy, and vice versa. They actually went so far as to plan outings without Draco and Hermione, just to get a little peace.

"Why are you walking fast?" questioned Hermione irritably to Draco.

Draco watched her, amused, as her quick angry pace offset her umbrella. The wind wasn't helping either. _Sometimes_, he thought, _she really does look mentally unstable._ He smirked only to stop himself from laughing at her, one hand in his pocket, the other was holding his own umbrella steadily,-

"Because you are"

"What!" screeched Hermione, instantly aggressive as she turned her head to glare at him, "You can't even let me walk faster than you?"

"Alright, fine" said Draco, slowing down to a normal pace. But, after seeing that Hermione kept walking hastily, he sped up again. He raised his eyebrows arrogantly, and quick as a flash both had dropped their umbrellas to the soggy ground and were all out running trying to beat the other to the giant doors that led into the castle.

"No-" shouted Hermione breathlessly through the rain as Draco sprinted ahead of her, "No fair! You're legs are longer!"

Draco ignored her and ran on, getting to the door first.

"I win" he said happily as Hermione met him.

"Barely" she managed to gasp out, bending down putting her hands on her knees.

Draco looked back at his friends and gently jabbed Hermione with his shoulder. She looked up at him questioningly and he pointed back over to their friends who were walking side by side companionably.

Both of them looked at each other inquisitively.

"When are they going to give this up and just admit they like each other?" asked Blaise, starting up a conversation that the four had, had many times before.

"Never" said Weasley hopefully

He was the only one who had not accepted the two as a couple-that's-not-ready-to-admit-they-are-a-couple yet.

Blaise sighed exasperatedly, he had tried. He was so damn tired of trying to get Weasley to like him. Now, don't interpret the situation incorrectly, Blaise Zabini still held to what he said before about Hagrid. His thoughts on interhouse breeding, however, were transforming. The Weasel's gorgeous sister was very interesting.

Pansy smiled under her pink umbrella. She, of course, knew exactly why Blaise was even condescending to speak to Ron, but that didn't mean she couldn't poke fun at him saying that a Slytherin was begging for a Gryffindor's approval.

Harry had accepted Hermione's new fondness for competing with Malfoy; he just didn't understand why that meant they loved each other.

"Because" said Luna Lovegood, stepping out from behind greenhouse six under a bright yellow umbrella, making all of them jump except for Pansy, "When two people argue it's likely that they are trying to hide their feelings for each other!"

"Exactly" said Pansy, nodding like an expert.

Oddly enough, Pansy and Luna got along alarmingly well. Which was completely fine with Pansy, most of the girls in her house only used her for a higher social status. The only thing Luna ever tried to use Pansy for was to ask her if she could stand on the roof of Parkinson manor to look for crumple horned snorlacks. Pansy smiled as she remembered how Luna came to stay with Pansy over one of the weekends, and how they had both camped out on her roof, waiting for the mythical creature in the rain.

"Did I say that out loud?" Harry asked Ron, unsure of the answer

"Say what?" said Ron distractedly, trying to see Draco and Hermione in the doorway of the school, waiting and watching them.

"Never mind" said Harry, too exasperated with his old, and new, friends to care about how creeped out he should be.

Draco and Hermione leaned against the great stone pillars of the doorway, both soaked to the bone and trying to catch their breath. Hermione could hear her heart thump and wondered if Draco could too. Before she could stop, she found herself wondering if her heart was beating so fast because she had run or because he was standing so close to her.

"I knew you would follow me" said Hermione as haughtily as she could while still fighting not to suffocate. She hoped she didn't look like a drowned rat in this rain, what would Malfoy think?

That's not right. Who cares what he thinks…not me certainly.

"And how did you know this?" asked Malfoy, pretending to be bored with her. That was impossible; he could never be bored with her, she was too interesting. Interesting by comparison of course, she was the dead cat in the road that totally eclipses the view.

"Because you can't stand not meeting up to a challenge" she said clearly, having finally caught her breath, "and you can't stand it when I win, I know you" she added as an afterthought.

"And you knew I would win" said Malfoy jeeringly, "Being a man and having longer legs, as you yourself said"

"What does being a man have to do with anything?" she questioned, determined to get the last word in.

"Everything" said Draco matter of fact, "We're bigger and stronger"

"Women are smarter" Hermione said almost childishly, "Besides, being bigger isn't necessarily always better, especially in a race; if you're bigger that means I'm faster"

"And yet" Draco said annoyingly, "You lost, pity"

He brought up his index finger and traced a tear trail from his eye, scrunching down his mouth so as to look pathetically depressed.

Hermione couldn't help it; she laughed, but quickly turned it around.

"You should keep that look, it's good on you…well, better than the other look you've got going on"

Ouch.

I need to stop hanging around with her if I want any pride left…or sanity. That's right, she was driving him insane. He couldn't stop thinking about her. And when she had laughed at his joke….

"Congratulations on your win, Draco" said Blaise good-naturedly, drawing Draco from his current thoughts.

"Oh, yes!" said Ron grumpily, looking Hermione up and down like an overbearing father looking for love bites on his precious daughter.

"Hermione" said Luna suddenly, making everyone jump, "I like your hairdo! I knew I needed something special for the dance!"

Hermione's eyebrows came together in confusion. As far as she knew her hair was plastered to her head unattractively with sweat and rain, compliments of racing his highness to the door.

"Er…sure Luna" said Hermione, not sure at all.

Luna beamed and turned to Harry, "I'm going to go and do my hair like that for the Valentines Dance tonight" she said dreamily to him, suddenly lifting her hand to point at Hermione, who was very close and only an inch away from Luna's index finger, "see you!"

To everybody's surprise, she kissed Harry full on the lips, handed and unsuspecting Pansy her bright yellow umbrella, and ran out into the rain. Harry watched fondly as Luna twirled in circles with her pale white hands out, electric blue eyes turned to the sky, getting completely soaked.

Harry looked back and realized why all of their mouths were open in shock. Everybody was waiting for an explanation as to why Luna had just kissed him.

"Er…" said Harry conversationally to Ron and Hermione, "Luna and I are kind of…dating now"

"Harry!" Hermione gasped happily, "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"Yea" said Ron violently, "Why didn't you tell us Harry? Why didn't you tell us that you suddenly dumped my sister?"

"Well…Ron" said Harry, trying to be cautious yet sturdy in his speech, "She doesn't really like me anymore. She's actually going out with someone else"

"Who?" said Ron, looking around as though the culprit would suddenly appear out of the rain. Turns out the culprit didn't need to appear: Blaise was actually standing next to Ron.

Blaise knew it was his cue, "Me"

Ron looked around at the attractive Slytherin, his mouth dropping open stupidly.

"We're going to the Valentines Dance together too" he said, might as well get it over with.

The silence was interminable…and awkward. All were waiting for Ron to either pummel Zabini into a pulp or go crazy and follow Luna out into the rain.

"Right" said Pansy awkwardly, "let's go, Draco...Blaise"

The three Slytherins trooped in the doorway, Blaise with his shoulders scrunched up like a kid walking past a parent who expected a swift kick in the buttocks. Ron wasn't up to beating Zabini up; however, he was still in shock. He watched the three go by him with his mouth hanging open mindlessly.

As they passed into the doorway, and out of the trio's hearing range, they all visibly relaxed.

"The world's going to pot" complained Malfoy as they made their way into the great hall for dinner.

He looked up at the enchanted ceiling. This was his favorite kind of weather, especially when looking at the ceiling; it rained drops down upon them that disappeared before they reached the hungry students.

"What do you mean?" asked Pansy easily, sitting down at her designated space on the Slytherin table.

"What do you mean what do I mean!" said Draco irritably, "Potter's dating Loony! Blaise is dating Ginger!"

"Ginny" Blaise corrected.

"Whatever!" yelled Draco, drawing eyes, "this is weird! Slytherins and Gryffindors are rivals…you're crossing the "disgusting" border!" he shouted, pointing to Blaise.

"Oh stand down" said Pansy irritably, swatting Draco's hand out of Blaise's face, "you like Granger"

Draco swiftly began scorning a pink pudding with heart sprinkles as a cover up. After he was done abusing the innocent pudding he looked up to his friends to see if they were still on the subject of him liking Hermione. Apparently they were.

"I do not"

"Do so' said Pansy instantly, dishing herself some broccoli.

"And Pansy likes Weasel" said Blaise slyly.

This time it was Pansy's turn to get angry, "I DO NOT!...and don't call him that"

Blaise looked smug as Pansy realized what she had said.

"You see!" screeched Draco foolishly, "The world's gone to pot!"

"Draco" said Pansy, with forced sensibility, "If Ron and I liked each other we would be going to the dance together, wouldn't we?"

Draco raised his eyebrow in incredulity, "that doesn't make sense at -"

"Actually it does," Pansy rejoined, "I can have anybody I want. If I liked Ron I would be going to the dance with him. And to go with somebody like Ron! La! I could have him strung up as a romantic partner instantly. Let alone a dance partner."

Draco frowned, that made sense, "Er…I guess so."

Blaise rolled his eyes; sometimes Draco could be disgustingly gullible for a Slytherin.

"Yes" said Pansy, cutting her heart shaped chicken like a professional and popping it into her mouth, "As it is, I don't have a date at all. So I was wondering if you would go with me?"

"Yeah, sure" said Malfoy uncaringly, staring at the laughing golden trio over at the Gryffindor table.

"Well wait" said Blaise, determined to make things difficult for Pansy, "Does that mean you like Draco?"

This drew Draco's attention away from the trio as he stared at Pansy, a little bit frightened of her answer.

"Of course not" exclaimed Pansy, not missing a beat, "I just don't have anybody to go with, and I know Draco doesn't either. It makes sense for us to go together"

Blaise gave up. Nobody could ever get Pansy unguarded; she always seemed to know what to say.

Draco shrugged, and looked back to the Gryffindor table and the object of his distraction.

"Besides" said Pansy slyly, looking at Draco out of the corners of her eye, "It's not like Draco has asked Hermione"

"I DON'T LIKE GRANGER!"

Pansy and Blaise smiled.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me you were going with Zabini!"

Hermione, Ginny, and Luna were in the head girl's room, getting ready for the Valentines Dance.

"I didn't know how to say it" said Ginny, turning a festive pink, "And what about Luna!" she said accusingly, "She didn't tell us she was going with Harry"

Luna didn't look the least bit ashamed as she said, "Harry wanted to tell you"

"Hmph!" huffed Hermione snottily.

The girls were almost ready but were procrastinating going down into the dining hall because of the awkwardness that was sure to attend the situation. They were dressed in Valentine colors; which were the requirements of the dance laid out by Dumbledore. The girls had dressed as their personalities fit them: Hermione in a sensible red dress with her hair flying wildly, Ginny in pink elegance and Luna in a white blowy gown that reminded one of a ghost with a strange silver contraption holding up half her hair. Ginny and Hermione had convinced her not to go to the party with her hair wet, for Harry's sake.

"Well" said Ginny, "I think we are putting off the inevitable"

Hermione sighed and headed for the door. She was followed quickly by Ginny, who was followed leisurely behind Luna.

The three walked out of the heads dorm and into the hallways, and headed into the great hall.

"Where are they?" said Ron distractedly, standing beside Harry.

The two were nowhere near as dressed up as the girls who were just leaving the heads dorm. Ron was wearing maroon robes, they were hideous. He didn't mind however, for they were better than his robes of fourth year. Harry _was_ wearing his robes from fourth year, they weren't valentine themed, but he really didn't think Luna would care. If she was going to show up soaking wet he really doubted anybody would notice his too-short, emerald green robes.

The great hall looked fabulous. Little hearts were floating everywhere and they would pop unexpectedly on people and dump pink paper confetti all over them. On the dance floor there was a mystic pink fog so that the dancers couldn't see their feet, Harry knew Ron would have a serious problem with that and Hermione would suffer for it.

Harry sighed at the thought of Ron going with Hermione; he had asked her to go as a friend, which was strange to Harry because he knew Ron liked Hermione romantically.

"Don't worry about it" said Luna, seeming to appear from nowhere, "Ron'll get over her"

Harry once again wondered if he had said that aloud. But as he caught sight of Luna it didn't matter anymore, she looked devastatingly beautiful. He wouldn't have cared if she had shown up with wet hair liked she had planned, but….now he felt stupid in his green robes. She looked like an angel.

"You look-Wow" said Harry.

"Thank you" said Luna dreamily, "If I had known you would be wearing green I would have dressed to match you. I have a pair of shamrock earrings that would have looked lovely"

Harry blushed. He knew Luna was perfectly serious, but that didn't stop him from feeling foolish.

Hermione smiled slightly as she heard Luna and Harry's conversation. She didn't care how Ron felt about it; Luna and Harry were perfect together.

Ron, for his part, only looked at Hermione for a second before beginning to scold his sister.

".Believe. you are going out with that…that….SLYTHERIN!" he said, his face turning red.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Blaise is a perfect gentleman. And you seemed to get along with him quite well until you knew we liked each other"

"I did not" he denied, "I never liked him. You need to stop! You-you're FRATRENIZING WITH THE ENEMY!"

"Did somebody call me" said Blaise smoothly as he came and slipped his hand around Ginny's waist. Draco and Pansy had followed him. Pansy was giggling at Ron while Draco was ogling Hermione.

The two Slytherin boys were in black velvet robes and looked extremely dashing. Pansy, for her part, was in a deep purple gown with one sleeve over her shoulder, and real amethyst earrings (unlike the Gryffindor girls she could afford those kinds of things) and a matching necklace. Her hair was up in a bun, she looked sophisticated and stunning. Pansy looked perfect on Draco's arm.

Hermione felt her heart clench. Why should she care that Pansy had come with Draco? What else had she expected? They had gone to the Yule Ball together in fourth year, why was she so….surprised now?

Draco himself felt very similar to the fact that Hermione had come with Ron. He felt jealous that she had come with him and stupid he was astounded that she had done so. He also felt stupid to be shocked by how beautiful she looked. She looked striking and made his heart pound like a conga drum, but it was to be expected if all the girls of the Gryffiindor house got together in an attempt to make Granger presentable.

He didn't have very long to be distracted by Hermione though, Weasley was about to beat up his friend for dating his sister.

"Zabini" said Ron with narrowed eyes.

"Ron" said Blaise, friendly to the last.

"Er…Luna" said Harry awkwardly.

"Yes Harry" she said, looking up at him though still interested in the obvious confrontation about to happen.

"Let's go dance" he said, pulling her away and almost running to the dance floor.

"Us too" said Draco, he couldn't watch this stupid fight and pulled an unwilling Pansy onto the floor.

"Listen, Weasel-" started Blaise

"No you listen!" said Ron hotly.

There was a silence, waiting for Ron's rant. Hermione nudged him, and Ron turned red, realizing that he was supposed to say something to Zabini like he had demanded...he didn't.

Ginny rolled her eyes and grabbed Blaise by the hand.

"I'm sick of this" she said, annoyed with the elder Weasley, "Let's go dance"

Blaise happily obliged and allowed her to lead him onto the dance floor. Ron was, of course, furious. He got even angrier when Ginny turned around behind Blaise's back and mouthed, 'act your age'

Ron made to go after Ginny and give her a piece of his mind but Hermione stopped him.

"Come on Ron, let's dance too! It'll take your mind off things," she said as she pulled Ron onto the dance floor and led him far away from his sister and Blaise.

"Just…calm down Ron" said Hermione, trying to get him to relax whilst simultaneously trying to evade being stepped on by his huge feet.

"Ok" he said, breathing heavily, "OK"

Hermione relaxed a little when he leaned into her and his cheek was very close to hers. It was obvious he was trying to calm himself. But when he started singing…well that was a little strange.

"Don't STOP believin'" Ron mumbled into her ear, "hold on to that FEELAHAHAN"

"You know you could use some singing lessons" she said to him, trying not to laugh.

"Wha- oh thanks" he said,

Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered, "Save me"

Draco spun Pansy around like a professional, a lot better at dancing than Ron.

"Do you support Blaise in liking Ginny?" Pansy whispered curiously into Draco's ear.

Draco thought about it. He knew the Weasley's were blood traitors, but that really didn't matter anymore. Nothing would be better for a former death eater's son than to start dating one of the Weasley's.

"I suppose" he said, "It's not like its harmful anymore, it would be good for Blaise's image"

"That's not what I meant" she whispered again, "Do you support it?"

Draco looked down on her. His answer really mattered to her and he suddenly understood why.

"You really do like Weasley, don't you?"

Pansy looked like she was about to deny it for a moment, but then she nodded.

"I'm ok with it Pans" he said kindly.

"Good" she said

"Streetfights, beepuhhhhOOOHH! Heavin mustmust fine devotion-NIIIIIGGGHHHTTTS!"

Pansy pressed her face into Draco's chest and giggled at Ron, whom they had just come up to dance near.

Ron looked over and saw Pansy giggling and said, "Sorry, I really like this song"

"Thinks he's the fourth Wierd Sister" scorned Draco whilst Pansy outright laughed.

Ron turned red; Hermione tried not to laugh, and failed miserably. Draco was done with this, Pansy was right. If she wanted this idiot, she should have him. He spun Pansy into Weasley's arms and drew Hermione into his own, cleverly switching partners with Weasley by his own will alone. Blaise saw the move and decided he might have to re-think his original scorn at those who called Draco a smooth operator.

Ron looked shocked for a moment and Draco used that time to mouth to Pansy, 'tell him'. Pansy looked scared for a moment but then drew her strength together and gave Draco a curt nod.

Draco then led Hermione far away from Ron and Pansy's spot on the dance floor.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked, too bewildered to be mad at Malfoy for taking her away from Ron.

"She needed to talk to him" he said distractedly as he watched Pansy, whose face had turned pink. She danced gracefully, though her head was pointed down. He could tell Weasley was handling it like he handled everything…badly.

"What is she telling him?" said Hermione, taking her left hand and turning Draco's face to hers irritably.

"That she likes him" he hissed angrily, then looked back at weasel and his friend dancing…

"Oh" said Hermione, "Clever of you to have them dance together"

He raised his eyebrows, surprised that she had complimented him.

She realized what she had said and soon remedied it by saying, "You're a brilliant man, I'd call you a genius except I'm in the room"

Draco rolled his eyes and looked back over to Pansy and Ron

"If he hurts her…" Draco grumbled to Hermione

Hermione was watching Ron and Pansy also, nervous.

"You're not mad are you?" asked Draco, "Do you like him?"

"Wha-no" Hermione said after a bit of confusion, "I'm actually hoping he gives Parkinson a chance, he needs to…move on"

She wanted Ron to go with someone else; she wanted him to realize that she didn't like him anymore.

"Ah" said Draco, his face clearing of any anxiety he had previously felt. At least she didn't still like Weasley, even if she didn't like him.

_You don't know that. You don't know if she doesn't like you._

The two watched as Pansy finished talking to Ron. He looked confused, but kind. He then looked over to Hermione, and sent her a panicked look with wide eyes. Hermione nodded to him as if to say, 'go on!'

He then looked down and said something hesitantly to Pansy. She looked up and practically glowed. Hermione let a breath out; he had told her they could give it a chance.

"Relieved?" asked Draco, amused

"Very" she breathed out in good humor.

Then she looked up and smiled at Draco cheekily, "Well actually I don't know; you're not going to start singing are you?"

Draco looked taken aback for a moment but then said with fake haughtiness, "If I were to sing I would do a much better job than Weasel!"

Hermione laughed and Draco felt confusion…again. Again she had laughed at one of his jokes! But this time with no Blaise to interrupt. He liked her laugh, it was like…bells. She didn't restrain her laugh like most girls, when she laughed it was loud, yet…beautiful. He decided her loud healthy laugh was much better than the idiotic tittering giggles he was oh, so accustomed with. The couples dancing around them had looked at her, she hadn't cared. Her laugh was so genuine! So perfect! Why couldn't he laugh like that? Without a care in the world! Her laugh was beautiful…she was beautiful…and she wasn't his.

Hermione watched as Draco's expression went from one of wonder to sadness, and then finally gloom. She then felt awkwardness seep into the air between them, which suddenly dissipated when Hermione stepped on Draco's foot.

He had a deep intake of breath but otherwise showed no outward emotion on his face and Hermione understood; Malfoy never showed pain because of his image. That would soon end.

She stepped on his foot again, this time on purpose.

He just barely gasped again. But, as it was the same foot, it was harder to keep a straight face. Draco looked into Hermione's eyes to see mischief and laughter. And he knew that she had done the second stamp on purpose.

"Granger" he muttered under his breath, "Stop it"

She smiled innocently, "Stop what?" She stepped on his foot again, though the other one this time.

He gasped more audibly this time and saw her triumphant expression. It then became clear to Draco that she was trying to get him to start bawling like a baby or something.

I think not.

Draco smirked and then pinched her with one of his hands around her waist.

She blinked, surprised. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, so she pinched him there back, a lot harder than he had pinched her.

His face became a bit tighter as he felt the pain, but other than that, no emotion.

And as with anything that ever happened between the two, it became a pinching, squeezing, step-on-your-partners-foot-to-see-who-finally-reacts competition

Draco won. But he didn't feel happy about it, he was pretty sure he gave Hermione a thumb sized bruise on her waist. She lost by crying out. She wasn't mad at him, however, she was as much of a participant in the game as he was; she had just lost.

Draco pushed his guilt away and smirked, "Admit defeat"

"Never." she said with false dramatics.

He chuckled as she dropped her fake demeanor and laughed again…what is it with her laughing? Was she trying to drive him insane? When she laughed he felt…hollow. And ashamed, he would never be that genuinely happy. Mostly he just pretended he was happy…unless he was with her…

Draco then realized that he really did have a soft spot for Hermione granger. Because she made him…happy; genuinely happy. And she had no idea.

He had to leave; he couldn't torture himself like this.

Draco pulled away and watched as Hermione's face fell. And so he left her there on the dance floor, to her great confusion.

And anger.

What a git!

He had just…left her there. She watched the back of his blonde head as he went out of the great hall.

Oh the irony. Hermione contemplated just going back to her dorm and sleeping it off. It's not like she had any reason to be here anymore. She looked over at Ron, he was looking down at his feet with Pansy was laughing good-naturedly at him. She knew he was probably making jokes at his own expense. Harry and Luna were both making progress on the dance floor and Harry had a goofy grin to match Luna's mystified smile. Ginny was leaning her head against Blaise's shoulder, neither were talking, both were at peace..

Hermione was alone…

How the hell had this happened? Hermione realized that people had started to stare at her as she was standing in the middle of the dance floor, no partner, not dancing. She quickly left with a red face and followed Malfoy out of the great hall.

She turned in the hallway. The doors that she and Malfoy had raced to this morning were slightly open; she knew it was him outside. So she went to him.

Draco Malfoy had been competing with Hermione Granger for what felt like his whole life.

Of course, he hadn't known Granger his whole life; actually he had only known her for six years and 3 months, but who's counting?

Anyway, he hadn't known her very well during those six years. But he still felt like he had been warring against her his whole life.

Because that's how things are. People aren't rational, and people who say people are rational are just that, irrational.

Draco, after knowing Hermione for two years, suddenly associated all of his training in becoming a pureblood, his father's disappointment in him, and his partition from other kids to be Hermione Granger's fault.

And vice versa; the moment Draco Malfoy called Hermione Granger a Mudblood she automatically associated him with her separation from other kids. She also blamed on him all the disdain she received from purebloods, and any time her friends pissed her off, guess whose fault it was: Draco Malfoy's.

This mutual loathing created a great amount of competition between the two, naturally.

Draco suddenly found himself doing homework projects all night to beat her, and when he finally did beat her on an essay in Charms; she started trying harder in Potions, his good subject.

They started checking out the same copies of a book, and seeing who could finish it first; Hermione usually won that one. Hermione learned Quidditch in a way; she never flew, but became the master of knowing all of the famous games and flying moves. But Draco still won at anything that had anything to do with Quidditch.

They started having arguments in different languages; firstly so the teachers couldn't hear them insulting the other, but also to see who was best at mastering the language. And when their first language they argued in got boring (French) they switched to another (Spanish). And when Hermione found that Draco could speak German and she could not; she put all efforts into learning the German language. She failed miserably.

And when Draco learned that she could speak Japanese, and he could not. He also put his efforts in and failed. Draco read, and mastered, Muggle history. Hermione read, and mastered, magical history from the pureblood point of view. It was horribly biased but she did it nonetheless. And Draco found Muggle history horribly boring but he did it nonetheless. Each to best the other.

They began arguing in front of students in the halls, their rivalry became the popular talk. Who had won most recently, who had bested the other last.

Finally McGonagall and Snape told them to cut the crap and keep their problems under wraps, for it was disturbing the student body. They did tone it down, but still swore to anyone who would listen that they hated the other….

But they only thought they hated each other. They thought this because the other was so very different from her or himself. But, in the world of reality and rational thoughts, they were too different and too similar.

Firstly they are both heinously competitive creatures, by nature. They have many other similarities; both an only child, both symbols of their house at Hogwarts, both head girl and head boy. And both also had strange, mixed, and hidden feelings that even they don't understand for the other.

Draco contemplated how similar he was to Granger as he sat on the steps of the doorway into Hogwarts. He probably had a blow up to look forward to from her, the bushy haired beaver of hell.

_We aren't _that_ similar_, he thought, _I am quite well groomed, and certainly not a beaver, I'm more of a-_"

"FERRET!"

Oh look, here she is…the object of my desire.

"Malfoy, you arse hat!" Hermione said furiously, pacing in front of the doorway.

"Why did you leave me there on the dance floor you-you, blonde- FERRET!"

"Because" he said inaudibly, still sitting on the steps.

"That's not a proper answer to give me" she screeched angrily.

"Get used to disappointment" he mumbled quietly.

Hermione blinked…something was wrong. She should just walk away; kick him in the back and then walk away…but she couldn't. She was too involved now.

She sighed and sat down by him on the steps. She thought that this would feel awkward, but it didn't, surprisingly. They just sat there, in companionable silence. Hermione waiting for him to tell her what was wrong, Draco waiting for her to ask him.

As Hermione looked out she noticed her red umbrella on the grounds, where she had dropped it earlier today as she raced Draco to the door. She chuckled. Draco looked up at her questioningly and she pointed it out to him wordlessly. He looked taken aback for a moment but soon laughed...Hermione liked the sound.

Not thinking, Hermione reached down and laced her fingers with Draco's. She didn't know what had come over her, but she just felt like it was the right thing to do. Draco didn't seem to know what to do, there was nothing he could do but grip her hand like she was about to be stolen away.

It started out slow, but Hermione began to feel some strange pulsating in her hands, she didn't know what it was at first, but soon realized in embarrassment what exactly was happening….it was her pulse.

Her heartbeat was racing quickly and beating through her hand…and Malfoy could feel it.

Draco smirked at Hermione's heartbeat, which sounded like she was having a heart attack. Her embarrassment at the beat was quite visible, as her face turned a lovely shade of pink. Hermione felt monumentally stupid at first, but then realized…his hand was beating also. He seemed to realize the same thing and his face turned slightly pink.

"Wow Granger" he said, trying to banish his own embarrassment, "I didn't know you felt this way"

"Shut up, yours sounds exactly the same" she said curtly

Draco dropped his smile foolishly, "does not!"

"Does to!"

"It doesn't Granger," he said, his pert nose going up smugly, "Malfoy's don't flay our feelings out so publicly and such a uncivilized wa-"

Hermione pressed her lips onto his demandingly, and he could only answer.

She knew he felt the same way, their pulses thumped together in perfect harmony, perfect rhythm. She had never felt so connected with another being in the whole of her life. Hermione felt like with the identical heartbeat that she and Draco had become one entity…one soul.

And she knew he felt the same way, and he knew she knew. He was almost ashamed, that was a win for her. Draco's mind was soon swept away, leaving only his heart. His poor stupid heart that was racing along, keeping perfect time with his enemy's.

She had kissed him…taken her hand that was not showing them the connection of similar heart beats, put that hand on the back of his neck, pulled him down…and kissed him.

And for once it didn't matter…the competition between the two.

Because when two hearts race, both win.

The End

Ok time for credits! The race between Hermione and Draco at the beginning came from A League of Their Own. And of course, the wonderful song that Ron was singing was "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey; if you haven't heard it you probably grew up within the Sahara desert in a hole under a rock. The quote "You're a brilliant man, I'd call you a genius except Im in the room" I didn't come up with that, I got it off of an icon made by wickedvisions on livejournal.

And I know it sounds corny, but I can feel my heartbeat when I put my hands together in a quiet place. So it's actually possible to feel your heartbeat with another hand. And I know this story is corny, but Valentine's day kind of calls for it, don't you think?

- Mischief


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